The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

I'm a big fan of old Victorian Sensation novels. I love the atmosphere, intrigue, and plot twists of authors like Wilkie Collins, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon. The Dead Travel Fast reads like one of those old novels, but without the overwrought Victorian writing (which face it, sometimes can take forever to wade through, even if the payoff is worth it). Deanna Raybourn takes all the elements of those old novels and spins them into a dark, atmospheric tale.

Here's the premise. After the death of her grandfather, Theodora sets off for the Carpathian Mountains to visit her childhood friend Cosmina and write a novel. It doesn't take long for Theodora to find herself wrapped up in the strange business of the Dragulescu family, and doubting what she used to believe in.

The novel is set in a castle in the middle of the Carpathian Mountains. Raybourn uses this to her advantage. The setting already conjures up images of Dracula and vampires, but she doesn't just let the setting do all the work. Her writing creates a lush, dark, and atmospheric setting for the characters. Letting the reader bring in their previous knowledge of Dracula and vampires is genius. Theodora does the same thing, so it gives the reader a glance at the story from where she's coming from.

The characters are top notch. Count Andrei is scary, charming, sexy, and a complete mystery. Theodora is determined to make her own way in the world, even as she finds herself drawn to all the things she's been trying to avoid. Cosmina was by far my favorite. She's aloof, exotic, but completely loving as she reunites with her childhood friend.

Part of the brilliance of this novel is how it handles the supernatural element. Theodora is warned that she's in Transylvania, and that things happen there that would never happen anywhere else. Theodora tries to keep her wits about her and she hears local tales of vampires and werewolves that haunt the whole region. You will spend the whole book wondering if the vampires are real, or just the superstitions of local peasants.

There is enough suspense, doubt, unexpected plot twists, and drama to keep you deeply engrossed in the story.

You can watch the trailer for The Dead Travel Fast here. If you're in Houston, Deanna will be singing at Murder by the Book on Saturday, March 6 at 4:30pm. You can follow her on twitter, and learn more about her Julia Gray series (which you should pick up too) on her website.

The Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent

A few weeks ago, a librarian came into the store to find a book that she had seen one of her students reading. She said it was a young adult book about a girl who screamed when people around her died, but then someone died and she didn't scream. The book sounded really intriguing, but it didn't sound familiar. The only thing the librarian remembered was that there were two in the series and the first one had a redish cover. We gave up after a while, but she promised to return or call and let us know what the book was when she found out.

After a little online research I found out that the first book in the series was My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent. The second book is My Soul to Save, and My Soul to Keep will be out this summer. I'm eagerly counting down the day until the new one comes out.

My Soul to Take introduces us to Kaylee Cavanaugh. While Kaylee is out at a bar with her best friend Emma she has what she thinks is a panic attack and predicts another girl's death. When the girl dies, she wants to think it's a fluke. It's not so easy to dismiss when it happens again.

Usually when I start a new series I like the world to be defined pretty quickly. Vincent doesn't do that. Kaylee has no idea what is going on, and has no idea how she's able to predict these deaths. Instead, Vincent reveals the rules and details of her supernatural world as Kaylee discovers them. This works really well. It really helps the reader feel Kaylee's sense of confusion.

The first book does a great job of setting up the series and letting you get to know the characters. Vincent keeps you guessing as to what's behind the deaths of all the girls. My Soul to Take will keep you engrossed up until the last page.

My Soul to Save is just as good. Shortly after the events of book, Kaylee and Nash are attending a concert when a pop start drops dead on stage. Kaylee is confused when she doesn't scream for the dead girl, and even more confused to learn that the dead pop star has no soul. Pretty quickly, Kaylee finds herself in over her head as she agrees to try to help another get her soul back. Vincent uses the opportunity to effortlessly expand the world that she's created. Once again, we learn more about her supernatural world as Kaylee does.

The author stays true to the teen voice of Kaylee. Our heroine comes off as naive as she makes the stupidest decisions. This isn't a negative. It feels very authentic. Any teen in the same situation would act the same way Kaylee does. Kaylee is loyal to her own detriment, and doesn't think of herself as she continually puts herself in harm's way to save someone else's soul.

I really like that Vincent leaves enough loose ends in both books to keep you wondering what would possibly happen further down the road. At the same time, she's able to wrap up both books neatly. Each has a definitive end to the story. If you like young adult urban fantasy and are getting tired of vampires, you should definitely pick up the Soul Screamer books.

You can find out more about Rachel and her books by visiting her website, or by following her on Twitter.

Lent, and my reading challenge...

I've got 3 book reviews that I need to do, and I hope to get them up tomorrow. First, I want to talk about Lent.

I was raised Catholic, so I still give up something for Lent every year. This year, I'm going to give up buying (most) books. I buy too many. I have so many here at home that I need to read. I just keep buying more. For Lent this year, I'm not buying books. I'm going to concentrate on my To Be Read pile.

I'm not a complete masochist. There are some books that I've book looking forward to that I will still be purchasing. Kim Harrison's Black Magic Sanction is out February 23rd. Changeless by Gail Carriger is out March 30th. Spellwright by Blake Charlton is out on March 2nd. I'll definitely be buying a copy of The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn at her signing at Murder by the Book. That's still four books, but going 46 days and only buying 4 books would be great for me.

Lent starts February 17th, and runs through April 3rd.

I'm also changing my challenge for the year. I said I would read 1 classic for every 4 books I read. It's a noble goal, but I'm blowing through a lot of stuff. There's so much that I want to read and the classics ratio is making it feel like I'm forced to read them. Instead, I'm going to amend the challenge to reading at least 1 classic a month for 2010. That's still 12, and that's still more than most people read in several years.

Lent starts February 17th, and runs through April 3rd. In addition, I'm also not buying music. I'm trying to cut down on all the impulsive iTunes purchases that whittle away at my back account one dollar at a time.

Celine: Through The Eyes of the World

(I know it's not a book, but you're going to have to deal with my gushing.)

I could start this review by telling you the wheres and whys of my Celine love, but I'm not sure you're ready for that much flailing in one blog. Let's just say that Celine has been my diva since I was 13 or 14 years old. Other people are obsessed with Cher or Madonna, and for me it's Celine. In the ranks of my favorite artists, Celine and Tori Amos make up the upper echelon.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to get an advanced screener for Celine: Through the Eyes of the World. I already bought my tickets over a week ago, but couldn't wait to see it. Celine's Taking Chances World Tour was being filmed for a DVD, and when they started looking at the footage, they realized it was perfect for a documentary about her first world tour in almost ten years. For the first time, she was taking her mother and her soon on the road with her.

When Celine was interviewed on Oprah, she mentioned that she wanted to make sure that they took their time on this tour, and were able to explore things as a family. That family adventure is the heart of the movie. I always get a kick out of the friendship between Oprah and Celine. There's a moment in the movie where Oprah and Gail come and see Celine backstage after one of the shows. While they're posing for pictures, Oprah has the biggest smile on her face. She's genuinely thrilled to be there with her friend Celine. I can't imagine it's easy to thrill Oprah like that!

One thing that always amazes me about Celine is the sense of awe and wonder she seems to view the world with. This is a woman that has been around the world numerous times on world tours, and she’s still able to find wonder in it all. You can see this sense of wonder and joy while the family is on safari in South Africa. Watching her lean forward to gently kiss the nose of a giraffe brought a big smile to my face.

It’s always a pleasure to see her interact with her fans, and Through the Eyes of the World shows you how generous she is. Whether it’s doing a meet and greet with a family before a show, or signing autographs for mobs of fans outside her hotel after a show, she does her best to try to give back to her fans.

All of this is cut with footage from the shows. Sometimes it’s full songs with footage from different shows, and other times it’s just a little snippet of the number. I really hope that Sony hasn’t scrapped plans to release an actual Taking Chances World Tour DVD, because the footage from the shows is awesome. It’s definitely on par with the quality of A New Day: Live in Las Vegas. Thankfully, at least 3 French songs are included in the movie, and you get to see many of the costumes that she wore throughout the course of the yearlong tour. I also really enjoyed the arrangements of the Celine songs that were used as the score to the movie. Sadly, I can’t remember what any of them are at the moment, but they used some gorgeous instrumental versions of her songs to score the documentary.

Through the Eyes of the World really gives you an intimate look at Celine Dion. You get to see that she really is just a big dork. She’s not afraid to make a complete fool out of herself to make the people around her laugh. You also see how loving her family is. I still think Rene Charles is a bizarre child, but it’s sweet to see him playing golf with his father.

It’s not all happy though. During a trip to a concentration camp Celine breaks down. The movie also addresses some of the health issues that plagued her during the tour. At one point, she pushes herself through a show that she probably should have cancelled. When it’s over one of her staff members says, “At least it’s over,” and a very exhausted and upset Celine replies, “but at what cost?” It definitely shows you how hard she pushes herself.

I could keep going, but I don’t want to give away everything that happens. As a fan, I was really impressed with just how much Celine let the cameras into her life. Hell, at one point you see her at the doctor with a scope shoved up her nose to see her vocal chords.

I dare you to see Celine: Through the Eyes of the World, and not come away loving Celine. Even if you don’t care for her music, you’ll love her as a person. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be a bigger fan, but this made me one. I can't wait to see it again opening night (I still have tickets, after all)

If Sony is smart, they’ll release this on DVD alongside the originally planned 2 DVD World Tour Set (1 English, and 1 French Concert) and put out a live album from the tour. The potential for all together in one big deluxe collector’s box set makes me moist just thinking about it.

You can see the trailer for the movie here. You can also see the performance of All By Myself with movie footage. Celine: Through the Eyes of the World opens in theatres Feb. 17th for 2 weeks. Also check out the official site for more videos, show times, and photo galleries.

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

I got an advanced reader of A Local Habitation at work, and thought it sounded really good. I asked around, and it seemed like a good idea to read Rosemary and Rue first, so I immediately bought a copy. I loved it absolutely everything about this book. Seriously couldn't find a flaw if I wanted to.

October "Toby" Daye was a private investigator living a double life. Her husband and daughter didn't know that she was a changeling, part fae, part human. One night, a job goes wrong and Toby finds herself removed from the world for a while. When she returns, she's alone and wants nothing to do with the fae. Unfortunately, she gets pulled back into it when a fae noble is murdered. Now Toby has to solve the murder before a curse takes her own life.

This book is everything that I love about urban fantasy. It has well developed characters, a vivid setting, a well defined world, and a story that will suck you in. Toby is an amazing character. She's trying to start over in a world that she doesn't really belong in. As she's trying to adjust to the world, she's also trying to adjust to living it alone. You really feel her isolation and loneliness. She's also extremely independent and not willing to accept any help. This, of course only leads to more problems.

The setting in the book is so vivid too. It's easy to see that McGuire loves San Francisco. Each place is described with loving details that really makes them come alive. It's easy to believe that some of the fantastic locations are from a different world.

McGuire's plot moves along quickly, and holds enough turns to keep the reader guessing. It also leaves plenty of unresolved things to make you want to pick up the second book to see what's going to be revisited later. It's also great to see another urban fantasy book that involves other supernatural races other than vampires at werewolves.

Under everything else, Rosemary and Rue really is really a story that everyone can relate to. Toby is trying to figure out where she fits in the world. She's trying to figure out how much of it she can do on her own, and learning how and when to ask for help. Sometimes she's too late, and she learns from that too. I think every reader will be able to identify with her journey to find a place she can call home and a family of her own, while trying to be independent of everyone.